Who Is Katerina Perez?
For anyone remotely interested in jewellery updates, they must be familiar with Katerina Perez, the Jewelry Insider. Born in Russia and based in London, she runs an extremely successful eponymous jewellery blog: http://www.katerinaperez.com.
Last year, she was in Singapore for Jeweluxe and attended my talk on Discussing Jewellery And Watches Over Happy Hour. Since then, we’ve kept in touch. Aside from being a fan of her sharp insights on gems, I’m drawn to her sincerity. We empathise with each other as working mothers who are always on the go. Therefore it was my great honor to be selected by Simone Jewels to be on a panel of leading ladies alongside Katerina Perez.
Simone Jewels’ Leading Ladies
When Simone Jewels first organised our panel of Leading Ladies, it was to launch Bombshell. This collection was inspired by ultimate leading lady, Hedy Lemarr. As she was not just a leading movie star, but an inventor, with a collection featuring Simone Jewels Celebrates Hidden Gems like well-engineered gadgets. Simone Ng says she picked her Leading Ladies from “different professions, backgrounds, countries and each with their own amazing stories.”
One of the ladies whom I met at the Bombshell party in April was Patty Denjaruwong. She is a Thai fashion designer whose clothes are breath-taking in architecture, yet practical & comfortable. The other leading lady was Katerina Perez, but she was unable to come to Singapore at that time. And the third leading lady was myself. For this occasion, a prominent local society magazine interviewed me about being a leading lady. I cheekily said that it was 2019, and I was nobody’s leading lady but a leader in my own right. However, I did qualify that I lead at the speed of trust. Truthfully, I’m only able to lead well with a good team and my teams are astounding.
When the three of us finally met for dinner on 12 October, it felt like a reunion of sorts. Naturally, the binding factor is that the three of us love Simone Jewelry. I for one, personally admire Simone’s strong design and use of high quality gems. To celebrate the occasion, I wore an unheated Tanzanite pendant on a string of silver Akoya pearls. On my fingers, I wore a pink diamond mounted on a cross and a padparascha set in a tiara-like ring. Of course, all these pieces were collected over the years from Simone Jewels.
Simone X Katerina Perez Capsule Collection
The Collection
On this occasion, jeweller Simone Ng, also launched her capsule collection inspired by Katerina Perez. Symbolising her optimism reaching for the stars, the collection features star motifs and other designs reminiscent of the constellation.
Personally, I like the ring set with a London Topaz sugarloaf, diamonds and carved crystal quartz. It’s no secret that I’m partial to birthstones of my kids. Little M4 is born in November and November Birthstones Are Citrine And Topaz. Furthermore, this piece is set in black & white recycled gold. The theme of sustainability resonates with me. Most of all, I love the hints of stars and the milky way galaxy. How dreamy!
The Cuisine
After an introduction to the collection, we enjoyed dinner prepared by the award-winning chef from InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay. Chef Bettina Arguelles was anointed Cuisine & Wine Asia Chef of the Year at the World Gourmet Awards 2019. On this night, she started us off with a hearty meaty soup, followed by a platter of various scrumptious morsels and a sweet treat.
The Company
Although I spent the evening surrounded by beautiful gems over exquisite food, the real treat was the company.
My dear friend R, now a huge fan of Simone Jewels, is expecting her firstborn. As my kids would say, this is the best news ever. I also had the pleasure of spending time with young C, whose enthusiasm for social welfare is infectious. In fact, we spend a lot of time together on social projects involving the underprivileged, the elderly and those without mental wellness. However tonight it was lovely to power down and just enjoy dinner. And of course, I had a wonderful time sitting next to the Jewelry Insider herself, Katerina Perez. I told her about my long day, helping out as Carrie K Helps Empower Daughters Of Tomorrow. We chatted about charities, travel, family and of course, jewellery. Intelligent, kind and resourceful, she is not just a leading lady, but a true star.
